


Transmit Clearly

by theianitor



Series: Alternate Universe - Tame Racing Drivers [27]
Category: Formula 1 RPF, Motorsport RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe: Tame Racing Drivers, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-15 11:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11229672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theianitor/pseuds/theianitor
Summary: In an AU where a secret species is used as Racing Drivers, there is a close connection between each human and their RD. The first time Sugarboy drives, Jenson finds out just how close they are meant to be.





	Transmit Clearly

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little contribution to the Tame Racing Drivers-AU. :) It's an interesting verse, and many thanks to Jash for letting me play in the sandbox a little. :) (If you don't know the verse, this might not make much sense, but check it out!)

**Mercedes Secondary Training Compound - 1998**

 

Jenson was nervous, probably more nervous than he would have been if it had been him getting into the car. Sugarboy was good, of course he was, but was he good  _ enough _ ? He had seemed so distracted, getting worse over the last few days. Today he wasn’t flashing hand signals at break-neck speed as he usually was, excitedly talking about anything and everything. He actually seemed rather reserved. His answers were concise, short even for a Racing Driver, and Jenson had started to think that surely someone else would notice... then again, he didn’t know who among the men around him knew that that was not, in fact, Jenson Button.

When Sugarboy walked through the garage to sit in the car, Jenson had the same kind of strange feeling that came from seeing yourself from behind in a picture or a video. The overalls had his name on them. It was confusing, he had known this was how it was going to be but it was confusing. Also, his ears were full of a near-constant humming and he felt a vague kind of headache coming on, possibly from the tension and the nerves.

He watched as the figure in the overalls with his name on them got in, fidgeting about for a bit, touching every part of the car he could reach. He stroked the sides of the cockpit, gently touched the steering wheel, ran his gloved hands over the parts like he was petting the car. The pitch of the humming in Jenson’s ears went up, it was almost time to start and someone must have turned up whatever machine was making the annoying noise.

As the cars left the grid, he felt a swoop in his stomach. It was like the first, steep drop of a roller coaster; he felt suddenly off balance and only just had the presence of mind to fall into a chair. He had to get up though, he had to see how Sugarboy was doing, he had to see how  _ they _ were doing, he had to sign if something... but then he realized the whirring hum in his ears had turned into gleeful chatter. A strangely familiar voice was jabbering away, excited and fast, sounding out of breath.

“Look, look! Yes, amazing, just like that, tighten up the corner, straight line out, out, look!”

Jenson realized he was breathing hard because the visor of the helmet he was wearing was fogging up. He opened it just a little, his hands shaking. The excitement was almost too much, like the high after a really hard workout combined with the careless, cheerful sensation of a little too much champagne – he felt happy, but dizzy and disoriented, a little car-sick but overjoyed. He wanted to whoop, scream, laugh, and throw up. There was someone else in his head, the other him, who hadn’t ever said a word but had signed plenty and  _ bloody hell _ he had thought that was hard to keep up with sometimes but it was nothing, nothing compared to this.

He gripped his helmet with both hands, trying to handle the combined feeling of the room around him standing still while his body felt like it was whizzing around the track. The talking in his head continued, calming slightly after that first lap of endless commentary on how amazing it was, how exciting, how  _ fast _ , and all Jenson wanted to yell back was that he knew, he  _ knew _ , but  _ please keep the car on the track! _

_ “We’re not leaving the track. The line is perfect.” _ The voice in his head sounded incredulous, like it was an absolutely preposterous suggestion.

Jenson’s eyes opened wide and he scanned the room quickly but nobody was even looking at him. Everybody was going about their business, and he was still sat on a fold-out chair in front of a blank stretch of wall. Nobody acted like he had said anything, or like they had heard anything else either. He focused on the wall, stared at it so hard his eyes started to water. Why hadn’t they told him? He knew about the signing, being closely connected to your Racing Driver, but nobody had said anything about... this.

When it was finally over they brought the car back in, helped the driver in the Jenson Button-overalls out of the car. Jenson had moved to the back of the garage but realized he could  _ feel _ when Sugarboy saw him, a spike of happiness, a bubble of laughter that just wouldn’t be stopped, absolute joy.

“Jense!”

The overall-clad figure threw itself at him. Arms were around his neck, hugging him tight.

“You  _ can _ talk, I thought you just preferred signing but this was great, we did so good, did you see?”

“I...” Jenson said out loud, not sure how to continue. Sugarboy cocked his head to the side, even with a helmet on the motion was pretty obvious.

“I didn’t know that was you,” Jenson thought, trying his best to think clearly. They’d have to practice, he needed to know how this worked. He felt silly imagining his words flying through the air like illustrated radio signals in old sci-fi movies. Sugarboy cocked his head to the other side.

“You’ve never heard me? I talk to you all the time..?”

“I heard you now, loud and clear. And you did great, you were amazing out there.” Jenson smiled.

“ _ We _ were amazing,” Sugarboy’s voice said happily. All that was heard from outside was a clear, perfectly tuned revving sound.

 

\- The End -

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for the read, this was all in good fun. <3


End file.
